COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Harvard beats Yale to win The Game for sixth straight season

Yale linebacker Brian Leffler (44) breaks up a pass intended for Harvard wide receiver Ricky Zorn (5) during the second half of their NCAA college football game in Cambridge, Mass., Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

BOSTON -- In a game that Harvard appeared to be the clear favorite, Yale stayed right with the Crimson for all of 58 minutes and 52 seconds.

The Bulldogs pressured quarterback Colton Chapple and forced turnovers. They found ways to score and took care of the ball.

It wasn't until Crimson running back Treavor Scales found a hole and darted down the right sideline for a 63-yard touchdown with 1:08 left that the game really seemed out of reach for Yale.

Scales touchdown run sealed a 34-24 victory for Harvard in the 129th edition of The Game in front of 31,123 Saturday at Harvard Stadium.

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The Crimson was finally able to finally breathe a sigh of relief when Scales reached the end zone.

"Just a great college football game," Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. "We had nothing left. We gave it everything we had. We just didn't have to make plays, we had to make really big plays to win this game. Just a great heavyweight fight and we landed the last punch."

If Scales' touchdown run served as the knockout blow, Yale's legs started to feel a little wobbly after Chapple's 4-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Bate on Harvard's previous drive. That gave the Crimson a 27-24 advantage with just under 5 minutes to play.

Yale leads the series 65-56-8. But Harvard has now won the last six meetings, the longest winning streak of the series. The Crimson finish the season at 8-2 and 5-2 in the Ivy League. Penn avoided a tie with Harvard and secured the league title with a 35-28 win over Cornell Saturday.

As for the Bulldogs, there would be no upset over their rival, no ending on a high note to what has been a forgettable season. They finish 2-8 and 1-6 in league play, coming in last in the Ivy for the first time since 1997.

Yale's defense kept the team within striking distance throughout and contained a high-powered Harvard offense that broke an Ivy League record with 394 points this season. The Bulldogs had given up only a 23-yard field goal to David Mothander early in the second quarter. They set the tone right away against Harvard's depleted offensive line (down three starters) with two sacks and a forced fumble on Chapple. The fumble led 29-yard field goal by Philippe Panico that gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter.

"We freed some guys up," Reno said. "Guys up front did a great job. We executed and we were able to get some pressure."

In the third quarter, Chapple rushed for an 18-yard touchdown that capped a string of 13 unanswered points for the Crimson. Harvard led 13-3 at that point. The Bulldogs answered and eventually took a 17-13 lead on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Henry Furman to Grant Wallace with 13:30 to play.

There were four lead changes in the fourth and Yale held a 24-20 with 7:07 left.

Backup quarterback Derek Russell returned from injury and made his first career start Saturday. He finished 9-of-10 for 73 yards. Furman replaced Russell late in the first half and Reno stuck with him. The play action opened up Yale's passing attack in the second half and Furman capitalized with some huge throws, including a 46-yard strike to Cam Sandquist that led to a touchdown.

Furman completed 13-of-20 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception on Yale's final drive.

"He came in and really did a great job," said Wallace of Furman. "We have faith in all our quarterbacks. Whoever comes in there, we know we can move the ball through the air. When he came in there, we were ready for him to make some plays and he delivered in the second half."

Harvard, boasting the Ivy League's top run defense, did a solid job of containing Yale's rushing attack. Tyler Varga, the league's top rusher, worked for all of his 98 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.

Even without its running game thriving, Yale was still able to hang with Harvard.

"I don't think there was anyone but the guys in our locker room that knew what we could do," said Reno, who was a member of the Harvard coaching staff last season. "That's what makes this team so great. These kids are resilient. They've battled, they've battled throughout the season. I'm proud of our football team. They showed what Yale football is all about."